When your Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa application is refused by the Department of Home Affairs, lodging a timely appeal with the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)—which fully replaced the former AAT—allows you to remain in Australia lawfully.

However, if you need to travel overseas while your appeal is pending, the short answer is: Yes, you can travel outside Australia, but you must strictly do so by securing a Bridging Visa B (BVB) first. Leaving on a standard Bridging Visa A (BVA) or Bridging Visa C (BVC) will instantly cancel your right to re-enter the country.

Furthermore, strict procedural shifts introduced at the ART make overseas travel riskier than before.

The Bridging Visa Framework for ART Reviews

If you applied for your 485 visa onshore, lodging a valid appeal to the ART keeps your associated Bridging Visa active. However, different bridging subclasses dictate whether you can legally step across the Australian border.

2026 Crucial ART Process Shift: The Paper-Based Review Risk

The federal government implemented a structural overhaul to the Administrative Review Tribunal. For many temporary visa streams, the ART now mandates paper-based reviews without holding oral hearings.

While this update initially targets Subclass 500 Student Visas, the tribunal has expanded capabilities to resolve certain temporary visa refusal reviews purely via the paper record, existing documents, and written submissions.

Why this matters for your travel: Because a tribunal member may decide your case entirely on paper without scheduling a future in-person hearing date, your 485 appeal could be finalized unexpectedly fast. If the ART affirms the refusal while you are physically outside Australia, your BVB travel rights collapse, and you may find yourself locked out of the country with no mechanism to return.

The Safe Travel Protocol: Step-by-Step

To execute international travel during an active ART appeal without destroying your immigration status, you must move sequentially:

1.Verify Active ART Appeal Status and Compile Substantial Travel Reasons: Document Gathering.

Obtain official proof of your active review file from the ART portal. Gather heavy documentation justifying your trip (e.g., corporate employment requirements, immediate family medical emergencies, or urgent business matters). Vague vacation reasons face high refusal rates.

2.Lodge an Onshore Subclass 020 Bridging Visa B (BVB) Application: ImmiAccount Lodgement.

Log into your ImmiAccount at least two to three weeks before your scheduled flight. Complete the BVB application form, attach your travel itineraries along with your compiled reasons, and pay the mandatory departmental processing fee.

3.Await Explicit BVB Grant Notice Prior to Boarding Outbound Flights: Approval Verification.

Do not leave the country on a pending BVB application. Wait until the status officially shifts to “Granted” inside your portal. Check the specific “Must Return By” date on the grant letter to identify your hard deadline.

4.Re-enter Australia and Reinstate Your Baseline Bridging Status: Onshore Return.

Pass back through Australian immigration checkpoints well before your BVB travel window expires. Once you return onshore, your bridging visa will continue to protect your lawful status until the ART issues its final review decision.